The Purpose of Lent

I bet you’ve been asked over the years, “What is the purpose of Lent?”

While I was preparing for my Lenten plan, I read the following: “The purpose of Lent isn’t to “better” your life, but to recenter your life on what matters most.”

The answer gave me pause to think. Is my Lenten discipline a self-improvement plan or a period of time where I refocus on God and his plan for me? The two are not mutually exclusive, but if all I do during Lent is lose some weight or give up wine my program its more about me and less about God.

Sacrifice is an important part of Lent, but it is not all that it is. A better way to look at Lent and your Lenten discipline is going deeper with God. That is why service, prayer/meditation, and study are equally as important.

By the way, the Lenten train has not left the tracks yet. If you had a cookie or glass of wine last night and broke your fast, God is most forgiving. Take your time and pray for guidance about your Lenten plan. God may take you in a direction you never dreamed, but I guarantee that  going deeper with God is a journey you won’t regret.

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.